Autism is a complex developmental disorder that interferes with, among other things, the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction, imagination, reasoning ability, cognition, and communication skills. It typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder which affects the functioning of the brain. Typically, autistic children and adults have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Formerly a rare disorder, autism has increased in the last decade by 300% to 500% in the United States and many other countries. Clearly, a means of prevention and/or treatment of what is now an epidemic are needed.
According to the Autism Society of America (hereinafter the “ASA”), autism is generally characterized as one of five disorders coming under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development, including social interaction and communications skills (DSM-IV-TR). The five disorders under PDD are Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Rett's Disorder, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Specific diagnostic criteria for each of these disorders can be found in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) as distributed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
The most common of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, autism spectrum disorders affect an estimated 1 in approximately 110 births on average according to a 2009 study by the Center for Disease Control. Indeed, as of 2003-2004, as many as 1.5 million Americans are believed to have some form of autism. Such a number is on the rise inasmuch as, based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a rate of 10-17 percent per year. At these rates, the ASA estimates that the prevalence of autism could easily reach 4 million Americans in the next decade.
The overall incidence of autism is, for the most part, globally consistent. Indeed, autism knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries, and family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence. However, it has been found to be four times more prevalent in boys than girls.
Although autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, it is a spectrum disorder in that its symptoms and characteristics can be present in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe. Therefore, autistic children and adults can exhibit any combination of the behaviors in any degree of severity. Two individuals, both with the same diagnosis, may have varying skills and display very different actions.
Indeed, every person with autism is an individual, and like all individuals, each has a unique personality and combination of characteristics. Those only mildly affected may exhibit slight delays in language or communication and may face greater challenges in social interactions. For example, one may have difficulty initiating and/or maintaining a conversation. Communication by autistic children or adults is often displayed as talking at others (for example, a monologue on a favorite subject that continues despite attempts by others to interject comments).
Autism requires those affected by it to process and respond to information in unique ways. At times, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may exist. The following traits, as identified by the ASA, may also be present in persons with autism: Insistence on sameness or resistance to change; Difficulty in expressing needs; (i.e. uses gestures or pointing instead of words); Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language; laughing, crying, showing distress for reasons not apparent to others; prefers to be alone or aloof manner; tantrums; difficulty in mixing with others; may not want to cuddle or be cuddled; little or no eye contact; unresponsive to normal teaching methods; sustained odd play; spins objects; inappropriate attachments to objects; apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain; no real fears of danger; noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity; uneven gross/fine motor skills; and/or not responsive to verbal cues (i.e. acts as if deaf although hearing tests in normal range).
For most people, our senses help us to understand what we are experiencing. For example, our senses of touch, smell, sound, and taste collaborate to give us a full experience of eating a ripe apple: the feel of the smooth skin as we pick it up, its sweet smell as we move it to our mouth, the crunch of the fruit being bitten into, and the juices running down our face as we enjoy the bite. For individuals with autism, however, sensory integration problems are common. In particular, their senses may be either over- or under-active. The fuzz of a kiwi may actually be experienced as painful; a sweet, fruity smell may cause a gagging reflex. Some children or adults with autism are particularly sensitive to sound, so that even the most ordinary daily noises are painful. Many professionals feel that some of the typical autism behaviors are actually a result of sensory integration difficulties.
While there is no known single known cause for autism, it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. The shape and structure of the brain in autistic versus non-autistic children show differences when brain scans are viewed. Currently the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems are being investigated by researchers, as well as a number of other theories. The theory of a genetic basis of the disorder is supported by the fact that, in many families, there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that autistic children may have inherited. While researchers have not yet identified a single “trigger” that causes autism to develop, it also appears that some children are born with a susceptibility to autism.
Other researchers are investigating the possibility that under certain conditions, a cluster of unstable genes may interfere with brain development resulting in autism. Still other researchers are investigating problems during pregnancy or delivery as well as environmental factors such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals.
According to the ASA, autism tends to occur more frequently than expected among individuals who have certain medical conditions, including Fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, congenital rubella syndrome, and untreated phenylketonuria (PKU). Some harmful substances ingested during pregnancy also have been associated with an increased risk of autism. Early in 2002, The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepared a literature review of hazardous chemical exposures and autism found no compelling evidence for an association; however, there was very limited research and more needs to be done.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and to the best of Applicant's knowledge, there is no cure for autism. There are, however, a number of medications, developed for other conditions, which have been found to be somewhat helpful in treating a limited number of the symptoms and behaviors frequently found in individuals with autism, such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, attention difficulties, and anxiety. Examples of medications used to treat symptoms associated with autism include: Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (e.g. clomipramine (Anafranil), fluvoxamine (Luvox) and fluoxetine (Prozac)) which have been effective in treating depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and anxiety that are sometimes present in autism. Studies have shown that they may reduce the frequency and intensity of repetitive behaviors, and may decrease irritability, tantrums and aggressive behavior. Some children have shown improvements in eye contact and responsiveness. Other drugs, such as Elavil, Wellbutrin, Valium, Ativan and Xanax, require more studies to be done but may have a role in reducing behavioral symptoms.
Over the past 35 years, the most widely studied psychopharmacologic agents in autism have been anti-psychotic medications. Originally developed for treating schizophrenia, these drugs have been found to decrease hyperactivity, stereotypic behaviors, withdrawal and aggression in autistic children. Four that have been approved by the FDA are clozapine (Clozaril), risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa) and quetiapine (Seroquel). However, only risperidone has been investigated in a controlled study of adults with autism. Unfortunately, like the antidepressants, these drugs all have adverse side effects, including, but not limited to, sedation.
Stimulants, such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine, used to treat hyperactivity in children with ADHD have also been prescribed for children with autism. Although few studies have been done, they may increase focus, and decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity in autism, particularly in higher-functioning children. Unfortunately, adverse behavioral side effects are often observed.
While many of the above-identified medications do appear to be somewhat helpful in treating a limited number of the symptoms and behaviors frequently found in individuals with autism, a wide variety of side effects are associated with such medications.
Apraxia is another of the neurological disorders or conditions that effects brain function. It is typically defined as the inability to carry out useful or skilled acts while motor power and mental capacity remain intact. Apraxia is generally understood to usually be caused by damage to specific areas of the cerebrum. Apraxia may be further divided into kinetic, or motor, apraxia, ideational apraxia, and constructional apraxia. Kinetic apraxia affects the upper extremities so that the individual cannot carry out fine motor acts, such as turning a key in a lock, even though there is no muscle weakness. Ideational apraxia is characterized by the inability to formulate a plan of action and is usually caused by a lesion of the cerebral cortex. This may manifest itself as a plan is never fully organized, with the part that is organized not remembered long enough to be performed. Alternatively, portions of an act may be completed in an improper sequence. For example, an individual may strike a match to light a campfire but then hold the match until it burns his fingers. Ideokinetic apraxia may be caused by an interruption of impulses in the association tracts of the nervous system, such that there is no coordination between ideation and motor activity. An affected individual will complain, for example, that he cannot use his hand, but then he will slap a mosquito with it. People with ideokinetic apraxia are unable to perform certain acts (e.g., whistling or making a fist) upon command but are able to do so automatically. Ideokinetic apraxia is usually caused by a lesion in the supramarginal gyms of the cerebral cortex. Constructional apraxia, typically caused by a lesion in the right cerebral hemisphere, is the inability to construct elements in the correct fashion to form a meaningful whole—e.g., being unable to build a structure with blocks or to copy a design.
Various disorders and diseases exist that affect cognitive function. Cognitive function may be generally described as including at least three different components: attention, learning, and memory. Each of these components and their respective levels affect the overall level of a subject's cognitive ability. For instance, while Alzheimer's Disease patients suffer from a loss of overall cognition and thus deterioration of each of these characteristics, it is the loss of memory that is most often associated with the disease. In other diseases, patients suffer from cognitive dysfunction or impairment that is more predominately associated with different characteristics of cognition. Other conditions include general dementias associated with other neurological diseases, aging, and treatment of conditions that can cause deleterious effects on mental capacity, such as cancer treatments, stroke/ischemia, and mental retardation.
Cognitive dysfunction creates a variety of problems for today's society. Therefore, scientists have made efforts to develop cognitive enhancers or cognition activators. The cognition enhancers or activators that have been developed are generally classified to include nootropics, vasodilators, metabolic enhancers, psychostimulants, cholinergic agents, biogenic amine drugs, and neuropeptides.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,114 discloses certain compositions for treating nervous system disorders including autism, ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity disorder and depression.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,456,224 discloses methods for treating autism comprising the step of administering an effective amount of a medicament characterized as a NMDA-receptor antagonist or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,651 discloses methods for promoting healthy body weight and improving a number of related physiological factors.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,575 discloses certain nutrient supplements comprising minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and agents capable of delivering cysteine in vivo and methods of treating autism involving administration of the nutrient supplements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,632,532 discloses certain delivery systems for nutraceuticals using a low caloric chocolate base for containing one or more nutraceuticals.
Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. ex Schult (belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae) is a woody climbing plant that grows in the tropical forests of central and southern India. The leaves are used in herbal medicine preparations. It is an Ayurvedic herb, and used to be known as “destroyer of sugar”, because in ancient times Ayurvedic physicians observed that chewing a few leaves of Gymnema sylvestre suppressed the taste of sugar. Today it is used all over India for controlling blood sugar (Baskaran K., Kizar Ahamath B., Radha Shanmugasundaram K., Shanmugasundaram E. R., Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, J Ethnopharmacol, volume 30, pages 295 to 300, 1990).
Gymnema sylvestre is stomachic, diuretic, refrigerant, astringent, and tonic. It has been found to increase urine output and reduce hyperglycemia in both animal and human studies.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,673 discloses an herbal formulation for therapeutic and cosmetic applications for the treatment of general skin disorders that contains an aqueous extract of Gymnena sylvestre. 
U.S. Pat. No. 7,632,532 discloses certain systems and methods for oral administration of various nutraceuticals such as plant concentrates, particularly in confectionary or chocolate matrices utilizing a novel sweetening composition.
JP-A 2001 226 274 discloses a lipase inhibitor that comprises a crude drug or its extract such as guava leaf (Psidium guajava), hop (Humulus lupulus), Apocynum venetum leaf, Gymnema leaf (Gymnema sylvestre), and/or Gardenia fructus (Gardenia jasminoides var. grandiflora). The lipase inhibitor according to JP-A 2001 226 274 has the following functions: anorectic, antidiabetic, antilipemic and hypotensive.
WO 01/17486 discloses a method for the cosmetic treatment of skin impairments and baldness by applying deanol or derivatives thereof (deanol is also known as dimethylaminoethanol).
JP-A 2292208 discloses a cosmetic preparation that contains substances obtained from leaves of Gymnema sylvestre, Zizyphus jujuba, bark and peelings of Malus pumila and further substances.
JP-A 02292208 discloses a cosmetic preparation that contains substances obtained from leaves of Gymnema sylvestre. The substances are obtained by extraction. The solvent used for extraction is water, alcohol, or mixtures of water and alcohol. The cosmetic preparation according to JP-A 02292208 can be used for the treatment of blotches and freckles.
JP-A 01258623 discloses a composition that stimulates hair growth and blood circulation and prevents baldness. It contains chitin and chitosan in combination with hydrolysing enzymes, organic acids, and substances of Gymnema sylvestre and Isagol (hemicellulose of Plantag).
It has now been surprisingly discovered that administering an effective amount of certain nutrient compositions appears to substantially improve frontal executive functions associated with apraxia, autism, traumatic brain injury, global delays, and/or ADHD, including, but not limited to, speech expression and decreased perseveration. Furthermore, administering such nutrient compositions has not been shown to cause side effects associated with medications previously used to treat the symptoms of apraxia, autism, traumatic brain injury, global delays, and ADHD. The present invention is directed to these, as well as other important ends.